SERIALS Routing Table

Each DOCLINE library has two routing tables that determine where DOCLINE requests are sent. DOCLINE requests for journals use the serials routing table, and requests are routed based on each library's journal holdings information in DOCLINE. Routing for other materials is described at the end of this document; see the M/A/N/ Map section.

The serials routing table includes 9 cells, each of which can include up to 20 libraries or 1 library group. Requests route from cell 1 through cell 9 until the request is filled. Routing takes into account the supplying library's holdings, delivery method(s), service level, EFTS, and color copy, etc. All libraries within a cell are evaluated for routing a request before the routing algorithm moves up to the next higher cell. Routing within a cell is random to provide a degree of load balancing. Since routing within a cell is random, institutions are displayed in alphabetical order within a cell. There is no "position" within a cell that determines routing order. For a detailed description of DOCLINE routing see FAQ: DOCLINE -- New Routing.

You can also send a request directly to a specific library. This is called "prefixing" the request. If that library does not fill the request, automatic routing will take over. However, DOCLINE recommends that you rely on automatic routing through your routing tables and only using "prefixing" in unusual circumstances.

You will have the best success with DOCLINE when you carefully think through your routing tables. We recommend that whenever possible you have a conversation- either in-person, by telephone, or by email - with the ILL contact of the library you are considering for your routing table. You will want to make choices based on libraries' collection focus, breadth of holdings, ILL policy, delivery methods, EFTS participation, and costs and charges. In addition, the guidelines and tools below will help you develop your routing table.

You may make changes to your routing table at any time. When you make changes, you must click on the Approve button to route your proposed Routing Table to the Regional Network Office. The staff can also help you by providing advice on how to select libraries for your routing table.

Selecting Libraries for the SERIALS Routing Table

Include only open libraries that report serials holdings into your routing table.

Put your most active DOCLINE partners into the lowest cells, before other libraries or library groups.

Put libraries that do not charge you before libraries that charge.

Put libraries with lower charges before libraries with higher charges.

Put libraries with comparable collections to yours in your lower cells; libraries with larger collections should be placed higher.

If you are a FreeShare library, place other FreeShare libraries before libraries that will charge you for service.

If you are an EFTS participant, place other EFTS libraries before libraries that do not participate in EFTS.

You must include the Pacific Southwest Region resource libraries in your routing table.

You may include libraries from other regions in your routing table.

The START/STOP feature of DOCLINE enables libraries to send requests to specific groups of libraries. You may wish to construct your routing table so that you can START/STOP at specific cells.

However, ALWAYS consider the quality of service provided by a library; do not make routing table decisions on cost factors alone.

Here are some suggested guidelines for placing libraries in your routing table:

Cells 1-3: Put your best borrowing partners first, followed by other libraries with whom you have reciprocal agreements.

Cells 4-6: Put larger libraries and libraries that charge more into these cells. You may want to designate a specific cell for libraries with significant collections in specific subject areas important for your institution.

Cells 7-9: Place Resource Libraries and the Regional Medical Library in these higher cells. You may place some of the resource libraries, for example, those that are close to you geographically, in cell 7 or 8.

This part of the DOCLINE routing table is completed for borrowing books, audiovisuals, or non-NLM journals lacking an NLM Unique ID.

There is no machine-readable holdings information for these types of materials; therefore, no match can be made to the institution holding the item. These types of requests are sent sequentially to the libraries in the routing table.

There are nine cells. Only one LIBID can be included in each cell.

The table includes institutions from which these items are borrowed, such as the regional resource libraries.

Libraries MUST complete this routing table and include at least one institution from which books, audiovisuals, or serial titles NOT located in either PubMed or LOCATORplus are borrowed. The institution can be the Regional Medical Library, the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library.